Rapid detection of significant bacteria in the urine has been attempted with a variety of methods. The detection of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the urine was evaluated many years ago and found to be too non-specific for clinical application. Recent advances in spectrophotometer technology and reagent preparation have made it feasible to reevaluate this methodology. Studies in our patient population demonstrated a false negative rate of approximately 10% which is unacceptably high. Attempts at developing better media to allow more sensitive detection within a one hour time interval were not successful.